


Day In The Sun

by casstayinmyass



Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bad Flirting, Canon Era, Canon Gay Character, Closeted Character, Closeted Gaston, Curses, Dark Magic, Desperation, Feelings Realization, Gay LeFou (Disney), Graphic Description of Corpses, Groundhog Day, Internalized Homophobia (Gaston), Lefou-centric, M/M, Magic, Oblivious Gaston (Disney), Pining LeFou (Disney), Poor Lefou (Disney), Requited Unrequited Love, Slow Build, Temporary Character Death, The Gafou Time Loop Fic You Never Knew You Wanted, Time Loop, True Love, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-10-28 14:19:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10833024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casstayinmyass/pseuds/casstayinmyass
Summary: Lefou awoke, squinting through the sun. What a terrible dream that had been... Gaston falling from a tower like that. Of course, it hadn't been real, and all was well on this bright new day.Though... everything today seemed oddly familiar, didn't it?[Watching your loved one die like that, again and again, helplessly standing by... it had to do things to a man. So why couldn't Lefou simply get through to Gaston and save him? Well, it was easier said than done, when you've got an Enchantress against you.]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write this for like, two months! Finally did it. Hope you like :)

Lefou woke up, warm brown eyes slightly sensitive to the bright morning light shining through his window. This is how he woke up every day, in his little cottage made for one. Yawning, he pulled himself up to the sound of a shout outside of his window:

_"I need six eggs!"_

He yawned again, wider this time, and padded out to make breakfast- as he began to root around for bread and jam, it hit him.

His terrible sleep last night had to be attributed to the situation they had left Maurice in. Now that the old man had returned, he was in the next worst situation than his previous one- Gaston had put it in the townspeople's heads that Belle’s father had lost his mind. Of course, Lefou trusted Gaston’s judgement with his life, so he wasn’t about to object… not very much, anyway. Maurice would be taken away tonight to the asylum, Monsieur D’Arque en route now travelling all the way from Paris to collect him.

Lefou expelled the unpleasant thoughts from his mind.

It was a sunny day, perfect for everything he loved to do with Gaston; everyone in Villeneuve bustled around him in their unbroken routine. He usually approached his dearest friend’s home within the hour of everyone waking up for the morning, before it got too busy- he detested the people in this village. They were all closed minded, tasteless people who treated Lefou as if he was a foreign presence in their precious village, even though he had grown up here just as everyone else had, and was every bit as illiterate as they all were.  

Really, by all the laws of this strange social structure, he should fit right in like a peg in a round hole.

He approached the wooden cabin, and, knocking three times on the hunter’s door, he heard the booming shout to enter.

"Come in, Lefou!"

Lefou entered to see Gaston buttoning up his beige and scarlet coat, smoothing back his hair; his eyes travelled over Gaston’s built physique, how each muscle in his arm moved with the stroke of a hairbrush. The light smile lines crinkled around his eyes as he squinted at his reflection, plumping his lips out to inspect them; Gaston made sure every inch of himself looked perfect. Lefou never got tired of admiring his friend. Immediately, he came out with a greeting, before Gaston caught him staring again.

“You look incredible,” the shorter man complimented, offering an encouraging smile.

“I know, Lefou,” Gaston smiled back, dragging a brush through his dark hair one last time before winking at the mirror. “Let’s be off, shall we?”

“Lead the way,” Lefou said, and followed Gaston out the door. They saddled their horses and left for the forest, hunting rifles brandished on their backs.

“Lefou, I’ve been thinking,” Gaston spoke up, squinting into the sun as they rode further into the bramble.

“You’ve... had a change of heart toward Maurice?” Lefou cut in hopefully. It wasn't that he cared particularly for the crazy old man... but he was crazy and harmless, and Lefou had something of a conscience, obviously one more present than Gaston's, if the hunter had one to speak of at all. This hope of a change of heart was quickly dashed though, by the withering glare he had been expecting from Gaston.

“I thought I told you to forget him. No, I’ve been thinking of my future wife-"

The title always crushed Lefou to hear, even if it was a dawning inevitability.

“-And it peaks my curiosity, you know… wondering where she _has_ scampered off to.”

“Oh?” Lefou pretended to be interested, focusing instead on a few birds sitting on a log. He would be lying if he didn't admit to wondering about Belle as well... she was fair, as far as girls in this town went, and as long as Gaston's affections for her stayed unrequited, Lefou even went so far as to admire the girl.

“I can’t have her running off before I have a chance to marry her, can I?” Gaston asked, huffing.

"No... you can’t."

"Then again, I suppose great hunters must venture to track down their prey if they are to enjoy it.”

Lefou swallowed, feeling his stomach churn at the way Gaston had drawled _enjoy_. He would give anything to hear those words spoken about him- but in the mean time, all he could do was continue to nod and agree.

“You would… look for her, then?” Lefou asked, reaching up to scratch his head.

“I’m not sure,” Gaston murmured, spotting a rabbit and aiming his gun, “On one hand, I want to find her. On the other, I’d like to see her come to me.” He pulled the trigger, and hit his target easily.

 _Like that’ll ever happen_ , Lefou thought to himself, but he indulged his friend’s musings as they trotted over to collect the small game.

“Perhaps we should wait, then. Let her come running straight into your arms,” Lefou suggested with a touch of dramatic flourish.

_No matter how admirable she is, another day without Belle around is another day he spends with me._

“Yes,” Gaston sighed, and glanced over to Lefou, momentarily distracted. “Are you warm enough? The morning air is chilly.”

Lefou was caught off guard by this- he shivered, despite the adverse warmth around him. Times like these made him question whether or not Gaston actually cared for him- _he did. Of course he did, they were the closest pair in town, le duo!_

“I’m fine,” Lefou smiled, tugging his horse to walk a little closer to Gaston’s. Gaston straightened up again, giving a curt nod, and they carried on. From the outskirts of town, people bustled around, bartering and bargaining, chatting and greeting each other pleasantly. Agathe wandered by in her plain grey dress and brown sash around her head, hands out for any passing folk who could spare some change for her... her gaze lifted to the distant figures of the two men, eyes unblinking and full of purpose as she intently watched Lefou trail behind his friend sadly.

She inclined her head just a little at the sight.

The day dragged on as it should have, Lefou stealing glances Gaston’s way whenever he could and Gaston himself pretending not to notice. Gaston's usual ridiculous inquiries came up as well.

"Lefou, do I make a striking spectacle riding my horse this way?"

"Oh, always."

"Lefou, does this colour of scarlet compliment my eyes?"

"Make no mistake."

"Lefou, is it true that every girl in town swoons when I walk by?"

"How could they not?"

They spent 30% of the time actually hunting, the other 70% talking about Gaston's charm and good looks- some things never changed.

Eventually, they had had enough of the activity, and returned to Gaston’s rustic cabin to skin their game as night fell.

Crickets chirped quietly, the night an oddly still one.

“Lefou, something still weighs on my mind,” Gaston remarked from inside. As Lefou stoked the fire, he watched the man roll up his sleeves, digging into the back of a deer he had brought home. His forearms were bulging, and the way he was stroking over the skin of the dead animal, Lefou wished he could feel that same touch against his own cheek-

“Lefou, are you listening?!” Gaston snapped, and Lefou’s heart ached.

“Of course.”

“The more I think of it, the more I’m sure,” Gaston nodded, holding his knife between his teeth, “Maurice is a danger to this town, and to my courtship of Belle. With him out of the picture, everything will run smoothly.”

“You’re right,” Lefou feigned, beginning to give his friend a neck rub as he sat down in his armchair, “Though, as your closest, oldest friend, I do have the obligation-"

“Enough! Stop trying to dissuade me!” Gaston bit, digging back into the animal pelt, “Help me or don’t, but Maurice belongs in a madhouse.”

Silence fell between them.

"Gaston," Lefou started, shuffling over and sitting on the table beside Gaston's work. The hunter made no move to nudge him out of the way or chastise him, rather lifted his eyes to meet Lefou's. Lefou sighed, gently taking the glinting knife from Gaston's hands and setting it down beside them. Taking his time, Lefou began to work his way up Gaston's arm with kneading ministrations, standing up so he could reach Gaston's neck to rub some more. "You need to calm down."

"Mmm," Gaston grumbled, "I am calm."

"But you're not looking at this with a rational mind," Lefou whispered, breath hitching at Gaston's soft moan when his thumbs cracked a tense spot in his back.

"On the contrary, Lefou, I'm looking at it from a perfectly rational point of view," Gaston breathed lazily, already loosened up significantly more as his eyes slid shut in bliss, "If I want Belle to marry me, I have to take drastic measures."

Lefou could see it in Gaston's eyes that whenever he talked about Belle, he got a look of pure determination, of almost hunger... that wasn't the way someone looked when they spoke of falling in love, rather when one had caught sight of something they had thirst to capture.

"Well, a wise, less... dogmatic man," Lefou chose his words carefully so as not to offend, even though Gaston probably didn't know what dogmatic meant anyway, "Would begin to consider alternatives."

"Alternatives?" Gaston's eyes opened slightly, as he turned to face Lefou. Lefou nodded, hands still grasping both of Gaston's pliant forearms.

"Yeah. Have you... thought of... alternatives?" he asked timidly, and Gaston's brow creased, obviously trying to decipher the meaning behind his friend's words. "What I mean to say, is..." Lefou's throat suddenly went dry, Gaston's eyes wide, conflicted, searching and almost earnestly _listening_ for once, staring straight into Lefou's soul as their hands basically touched and he _had_ to tell him, now was the time, right now, now, _now, tell him_ -

Their conversation was interrupted by the neighing of a horse outside that directed their attention out the window- D’Arque had arrived. 

Feeling his stomach churn, Lefou felt his spirits crash as Gaston immediately turned from him, going for the door. Unable to turn back the clock, Lefou followed Gaston out, biting his tongue. The ghostly pale man who stood before the carriage held a lantern up, illuminating the bars that would hold Maurice on his way out of the village; Gaston grinned, shaking the man's hand. Lefou began to shift from foot to foot, feeling as if they were making an evil deal or something- which they essentially were, if he thought about it.

Funny- he never would have pegged himself as a villain when he read those silly storybooks as a child.

The night was cold, and the fact that no wind rustled down the cobblestone streets unnerved him.

"Lefou, go send for Maurice," Gaston smiled, already excited to execute his plan as if their conversation inside had had no effect at all. Lefou swallowed, nodding slowly. Walking down the road and over to the small stone jailhouse, he knocked three times on the heavy door before a guard came to speak.

"Maurice, please," Lefou muttered, not wishing to engage the intimidating man for too long, but the guard scoffed.

"Who's authority, _tu con_?"

Lefou rolled his eyes, and turned tiredly to face the guard head on. "Gaston's."

The guard immediately dropped his scowl, and opened the door, disappearing for a moment before dragging Maurice up to Lefou. As a haggard-looking Maurice coughed and tried to struggle out of the grip, villagers began to gather around, flocking to Maurice and where Gaston was waiting. Morality panging, Lefou had to turn a blind eye as Tom, Dick, and Stanley took over, almost carrying Maurice along to the cart. The townspeople jeered and hollered, and Gaston approached the old artist, holding him by the shoulders in the square of the village. Pere Robert, the kindly librarian and priest, spoke up.

"Please, this man needs a hospital, not an asylum!" he tried to protest, but as Lefou listened, he felt a surge of fierce loyalty rage inside of him. Nobody would speak out against Gaston and get away with it.

"That's enough from you," the short man surprised himself by growling, and Robert drew back a little, frowning at his unusual mannerisms.

"Well, Maurice," Gaston said, opening the doors of the barred cart, "Have you ever seen the inside of a madhouse? You'd never last a day."

Maurice huddled against the wall, and Lefou grimaced. _This was wrong. This was very, very wrong._

"Give me your daughter's hand, and I’ll set you free."

Maurice looked him in the eye defiantly. "Never."

Gaston's face contorted, and he slammed the cart doors shut with a bang of finality. Lefou was hesitant to approach his friend- he knew him quite well as susceptible to bouts of unrestrained anger like this, but he never seemed this terribly furious over something. Frankly, Lefou found it hard to believe Gaston was being this malicious- that he could possibly find it within himself to be so to a weak old man, at that. He went back to stand at Gaston's side, and the hunter turned to him, putting a congratulatory hand on his back.

_They had done it. The plan had worked._

Suddenly, throwing a wrench in this whole thing, a horse galloped into the square, a young woman in a yellow dress sitting atop it.

"Belle?" Gaston muttered, mostly to himself, and Lefou's eyes widened.

"Stop!" she cried, dismounting and running over.

“Belle!” Maurice’s voice, uplifted once more, rang out from the cart, “I thought I’d lost you!”

"Please, he’s hurt! Let him out," the brunette begged Monsieur D'Arque desperately, and Lefou found himself wishing he just would.

"I can't do that, miss," the pale man rasped, "But we'll take good care of him."

"My father's not crazy!" Belle turned frantically, grabbing Gaston's arm, "Gaston! Tell him!"

Gaston sighed, feigning sympathy. The smile that hid under that sympathetic frown told Lefou it pleased him she was turning to him for help. "Belle, you know how loyal I am to your family, but... your father has been making some unbelievable claims."

"It's true, Belle," Jean emerged from beside Lefou nervously, "He's… he’s been raving about a beast in a castle."

Belle let out a relieved noise, and looked around. "But I've just come from the castle, and there _is_ a beast!" A murmur went through the crowd, and Lefou watched Belle in concern. Had she truly lost her mind as well? Gaston's children would surely pick up the crazy gene if he married into this, there was no doubt.   

"You'd say anything to save your father," Gaston said, doling out the pity in a strange manner that made Lefou's skin crawl as it never had before, "Your word is hardly proof." Lefou wished he would just stop. Regardless of Belle’s obvious confusion, she was convinced of what she was saying, so there was no need to use it against the poor girl. This was going too far- it had _already_ gone too far.

"You want proof?" Belle cried, then looked down at the mirror she had been holding with conviction. "Show me the beast!" She held up the glass, and Lefou saw something he never would have imagined... She’d had been telling the truth?!

The beast was huge, with fangs, and… and what looked like razor sharp claws!

"H-hard to argue with that, Gast-" Lefou began, tugging on his friend's jacket, and Gaston ripped away, grabbing the mirror from Belle.

"This is _sorcery_!" Gaston shouted, staring at the image with wide eyes- Lefou could tell he was just as shocked and frightened as he was himself- "Look at this beast." He turned to the crowd, holding the mirror up as everyone screamed, "Look at his _fangs_! His claws!"

"No, don't be afraid! He's kind, and gentle!" Belle assured.

Gaston narrowed his eyes, turning back to her. "The monster has her under its spell..." he began to theorize, "If I didn't know better, I'd say she even cared for him!"

The townspeople continued to rouse angrily, and Belle stood there, stunned and furious.

"He's not a monster, Gaston. You are."

Lefou winced again as Gaston went through the roof at this, nostrils flaring- it was always a blow to the ego that sent his sensibility crumbling. Instead of a violent outburst as Lefou had expected, though, Gaston took a deep breath. "We can't have her running off to warn the beast, can we?" he asked, unnervingly calm, "Lock her up too."

Deep unease returned to Lefou, but this time, it wasn't because of the supernatural creature he had just been shown... this was not the Gaston he knew, not the benevolent, hapless charmer he'd known since boyhood. He had planned to woo Belle, not imprison her! 

Lefou had to talk to him- he was the only person who could get through to that man when he slipped back into his role as army captain like this.

"Gaston, with all due respect, just think about what you're d-" he touched his arm, but this time, Gaston whipped around to glare at Lefou with eyes the shorter man didn't recognize.

"Do you want to be next?" he snarled without a sliver of his earlier tenderness, "Fetch my horse." He shoved Lefou out of the way, grabbing a torch off a pillar and turning to the crowd. "This creature is a threat to our very existence!"

" _Yeah_!" everyone yelled.

"He'll curse us all if we don't do something!"

Everyone continued to cheer their support, and Gaston leapt up onto a wagon. "Well, I say we _kill the beast_!" As the cheers got louder, Gaston tossed the torch into a pile of hay, setting it ablaze, and Lefou's blood ran cold- he had seen this before, in the war.

This was Gaston in his element... and it was dangerous.

"Follow me!" the hunter yelled, and got on his horse. As he trotted by, he glared down at Lefou. "Are you coming?"

Lefou gave a half-hearted glance back to where Belle was banging at the metal bars, and turned again, mounting his own horse to follow Gaston.

"Be it war or threat, they'll do just as I say in times like these," Gaston said to Lefou, and Lefou fell back a little, thinking to himself. Something had snapped inside Gaston, no doubt… he may not want Belle for the right reasons, but to be denied something he had set his sights on, in front of the entire town? Lefou knew Gaston well enough to not be surprised by his drastic reaction. Still- organizing a mob to murder a huge, hulking monster with supposed superhuman strength? This was not one of his brightest moments, and Lefou had to stick by his side to offer his help, or he would never forgive himself if something happened to Gaston.

Despite the warmth of the flames licking at the tips of the torches around them, Lefou was cold, to the bone. Something wasn't right in the air tonight, and he had a terrible feeling about how all this would turn out- there was a beast running wild, no question, but Lefou feared the wrong monster had been released.

Gaston lifted up the mirror as they made it over the hill, and spoke. "Show me the castle." Lefou marvelled at the object as a huge, dark castle with pointed turrets appeared, and it didn't seem far. The mob of villagers followed them through the mist, through the woods, dark paths, over ponds, under branches until they arrived on the snowy, shadowy grounds.

 _Winter... in June._ This was shaping up to be an interesting night.

Lefou shivered again, but this time, Gaston offered no coat- this time, the gentleman in him had been replaced by the war hero, who had one purpose: to find and eliminate the creature who had taken what was his.

Everyone entered, the door creaking ominously as the sound of their boots softly echoed. As Gaston held his torch higher, Lefou swallowed, sticking to him like glue and shuddering. To his relief, Gaston reached an arm behind himself, keeping it on Lefou's own in protection.

"Aren't you the least bit concerned that this castle may be haunted?" Lefou asked timidly, but Gaston didn't answer, intuitive hunter’s senses already in tune with every creak around them. Lefou finally dared to leave Gaston's side, and walked over to the little china cup sitting on a tray. Laughing weakly, he decided to make light of the situation with a joke he assumed would win him favour in further tarnishing Maurice's claims.

"You must be the talking teacup," he grinned sweetly at a cup with a chip in it, "And you..." he turned to the other object, "Must be his grandmother!"

Just then, his heart nearly stopped as the teapot opened her eyes, glaring. " _Grandmother_?! Attack!"

Everything that happened next was somewhat of a blur. The entire foyer of the castle turned into complete anarchy, the objects around them coming to life. Lefou ran back over to Gaston, hiding behind him, but confusion and fear consumed him as his friend shoved him in front, allowing Lefou to get battered by a... coat rack?

When Lefou finished rubbing his face and wincing, he turned to where Gaston was fighting off hurtling books- then he heard something approach behind him.

“Gastoooon!” he screamed, as a huge harpsichord fell on top of him and pinned him to the ground. Had it not been for the tip of his shoe sticking up, the force of it might have killed him, but Lefou was still breathing, albeit with burden.

"Gaston," Lefou tried weakly, one more time, "Help..."

Gaston turned back, and something almost familiar flashed through his eyes as he stared down at Lefou. A hopeful smile returned to Lefou's lips at the shared glance, expecting a hand up, but just as soon as it appeared, the glint of the old Gaston froze over into a cold glower.

"Sorry, old friend," he said, setting his jaw and squaring his shoulders, "It's hero time."

"Wait," Lefou called once more, voice barely above a whisper as he noticed Gaston's left hand reach down for his gun. Worry overtook him- how would this end?

Minutes ticked into an hour as the villagers continued to get bested by angry houseware, and Lefou realized he had to do something to stop the fight, so he could follow and stop Gaston from doing anything stupid. Eventually, the spirit of the objects sent the villagers running out of the castle... but Gaston still hadn't returned.

Lefou began to feel sick to his stomach. As he walked out through the huge front doors, he found that he was not the only one searching for their fearless leader... Tom, Dick, and Stanley had taken to searching the grounds as well. As time passed looking around, Lefou began to feel as if he was going to throw up- and he almost did, when he heard Tom shout for everyone to come.

_"Good god... I've found him!"_

He didn't sound terribly optimistic.

Lefou ran as fast as his legs could take him over to where a small crowd had gathered, already apprehensive from the gasps and cries among them.

Then he saw it, through the pouring rain. A horrific sight lay before him, of blood running down a terribly mangled head attached to an equally mangled body, limbs twisted at odd angles. A broken piece of debris squeezed even more blood out of the dead man through his impaled torso, the great specimen no more than an unrecognizable, bruised heap. 

_No, no, no, no, it wasn't real, none of this was real, it was all a dream, all a dream, that was not Gaston's body, lying bloodied on the ground, neck broken and legs twisted, it was some kind of sick joke and Lefou knew he didn't deserve this and Gastondidn'tdeservethisittwasn'tfairitwasn'tfairthiscan'tbereal-_

To the side, Agathe stood with the hood of her threadbare cloak up, eyes trained on Lefou curiously as he began to unravel in a full-blown panic. Suddenly, with one little peek at Gaston's wide, unblinking amber eyes lined with blood, the flash from a bolt of lightning overtook Lefou's consciousness, fading into the morning sun that shone through his bedroom window.


	2. Chapter 2

_"I need six eggs!"_

Bleary-eyed, Lefou rubbed his face, frowning at the distant call of a woman. Had he... that wasn't...

His frown got even deeper as he slowly pulled himself up. Had that really all been a dream? Every last second of it? First of all, it had been terribly detailed, then it had also been rather long for one night's rest...

 _Well, good._ That was a relief.

 Lefou knew Gaston wouldn't be capable of something like that in real life, and it comforted him to know he could still go visit Gaston's cottage and find him unharmed. As he got up and made himself breakfast, the emptiness of Gaston's glazed, unblinking eyes from the nightmare last night began to edge its way back into his mind, haunting him.

Jolting himself out of it, he broke the bread in half, smearing some jam on, and took a bite with a forced smile. Ah, then there was Maurice still... poor old Maurice... he supposed nightmares like that one were the product of great troubles, and Lefou could admit he had been pretty troubled over what they had done with Maurice, just as he had been in his dream last night.

Oh, well. Gaston knew best... Gaston, who was still very much alive, because _of course he was, it had all been a dumb dream._

Shutting his door, Lefou hurried down the street over to his friend's cottage, eager to see him- he couldn't get there fast enough to touch him and make sure it _was_ just a dream after all. As he passed the villagers, they all seemed to be in the same spot they had been in the dream.

Curious… but then, nothing in this little town ever changed.

He knocked three times on Gaston's door, and heard, "Come in, Lefou." Excitement skyrocketed in Lefou. As he opened the door, he found his friend brushing his hair, inspecting his reflection intently. _Okay… also pretty similar to the dream, but common sight to be greeted with._

"You look... amazing," Lefou told him, trying to change it up a little. This was not a day just like this dream- that was a ridiculous thought, of course, and Lefou was smart enough to know that, at least.

"I know, Lefou," Gaston grinned, and Lefou hesitated. _Wait..._

He paled as Gaston winked at the mirror, just as he had the night before, and turned to Lefou expectantly. "Let's be off, shall we?"

\-----

Okay, so this day was turning out exactly like his dream. No cause for panic, right?

_Right?!! Dear god, it had only been an hour, so it was hard for one to tell, wasn’t it?!_

Lefou nearly hyperventilated atop his horse as they trotted into the forest, thinking of how that day had fictionally ended. But surely, it had to be a coincidence- nothing out of the ordinary had happened, Gaston was still his Gaston, nothing hostile (or any more hostile than usual) about the man, so no need to worry yet.

"Lefou, I've been thinking," Gaston began, and Lefou's wide eyes panned over to the other man.

"Uh huh," he replied breathlessly.

"I..." he trailed off, narrowing his eyes at Lefou. "Aren't you going to pester me about Maurice again?"

"No I am not, because _thatwouldmakethiswholethingreal_."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing, please go on."

"Yes, well- I've been thinking about my future wife-"

_Still stung just as much._

“-And it peaks my curiosity, you know… wondering where she _has_ scampered off to.”

Funny... this was almost word for word.

"...And you can't have her running off before you've got a chance to marry her... can you?" Lefou asked slowly, narrowing his eyes. Gaston suddenly looked dumbfounded.

"How did you...?" he began to ask, then seemed to shake it off. "Hm. Yes, that's exactly how I feel. Then again, I suppose great hunters must venture to track down their prey if they are to enjoy it.”

"Uh huh," Lefou repeated, looking over. The same birds he had observed in the dream were on the same log.

"Are you warm enough? The morning air is chilly," Gaston said, and Lefou blinked.

"I'm fine," he replied, trying to ignore the shivers going up his spine.

The rest of their hunt carried on as Lefou predicted it would- the exact same vain questions were asked.

"Lefou, do I make a striking spectacle riding my horse this way?"

"Sure, of course."

"Lefou, does this colour of scarlet compliment my eyes?"

"I suppose, yes."

"Lefou, is it true that every girl in town swoons when I walk by?"

"You have eyes, don't you? You see them?"

Gaston seemed to pick up on the fact that Lefou wasn't being as pleasantly responsive as he usually was, so he decided to take action- the hunter built up enough courage to ask an empathetic question of his friend, the inquiry coming out somewhat cutely awkward.

"What's... troubling you, Lefou?"

Lefou looked at Gaston, and for a split second at how genuinely concerned he seemed, considered coming clean about everything- but according to the dream (which seemed to be a plausible thing to go on at this point) bringing up anything outside the norm or certainly anything about seeing the future through visions, would not end well with Gaston.

"Just thinking of all the skinning we'll need to do," Lefou feigned a small chuckle, "My least favourite part of a hunting trip is the after stuff."

Satisfied with this answer and not bothering to look any deeper, Gaston chuckled. "I know. You always hated it. Don't worry, I'll do it- I skin them faster anyway. Maybe we'll be able to eat supper by sundown this time, if we've got my hands on the job."

 _Why did he have to use that choice of words?_ Lefou grimaced, wishing he could cross his legs on horseback.

When they finally got back to the village, Lefou looked around. There was Paulette, Laurette, and Claudette, fanning themselves over Gaston's appearance as usual. Each day, their wigs seemed to get higher and their corsets tighter. Then over there with his horse was Jean the benevolent potter, loading his work into the cart... Agathe walked by in the same ratty grey dress she always wore, faded brown sash tied around her head. Lefou stared at her until she passed, looking away just when the woman turned.

"Lefou, something still weighs on my mind," Gaston said, and Lefou watched it play out as a performance he had seen before would.

"You're thinking of Maurice, and how much of a danger he is to this town and your courtship of Belle?"

Gaston's face screwed up as he dropped the carcass on the table with a thud. "Now, how do you keep-"

"This is so weird," Lefou murmured to himself, but before he could muse any further, he felt two firm hands on his shoulder, snapping his gaze up.

"Something _is_ burdening you, my friend... I demand you tell me at once."

"Gaston," Lefou tried to protest, but Gaston wasn't hearing it this time. One hand lifted up to Lefou's chin, and Lefou realized with a pang of melancholy that his friend was only being this friendly because he was feeling optimistic about Belle. _That's usually the only way he_ could _be this caring, wasn't it?_

Tired of second guessing himself, Lefou just made up another excuse to appease Gaston's questions. "'M just exhausted."

"Is that all?" Gaston frowned, and looked around obliviously. "Well, you know you can stay here anytime you'd like! The bed is always open."

Lefou suppressed a squeak. "I'd better n-"

"Nonsense, I won't have you falling asleep on your way home, Lefou, subject to crazy, dangerous old men like Maurice wandering the streets."

"Maurice isn't wandering the streets," Lefou muttered with an honest yawn, "You locked him up. After you tied him to a tree to be mauled to death."

Gaston's smile soured slightly, and he let go of Lefou's shoulders to return to his carving.

"It's for the best, Lefou. You and I both know it."

"You and I know a lot of things the others don't," Lefou replied quietly, wishing he could say the same for the fantasies he'd played out in his head. Gaston hesitated, knife in hand.

"And those things will stay between us," Gaston reminded him sternly, and Lefou could only imagine him saying that after many a hot night together.

_Focus. You have to find a way to keep him here if you don't want this turning out like your dream, and D'Arque is going to arrive any minute._

"Well... regardless of what the villagers know or don't know, why don't we just... forget them for the night?" Lefou suggested weakly, walking up to his friend, "We'll finish skinning this, you can… roast it on the fire while I rub your feet and make sure you're _nice_ and relaxed..." He bit his lip, heart beating faster at the thought.

Gaston seemed contented by the image of this as well, almost leaning back into Lefou, then caught himself before Lefou noticed, clearing his throat. "Appealing... even more so if Belle were doing it."

Lefou felt that like a sharp sting, and recoiled a little. Just then, his hopes of persuading Gaston to stay in for the night were dashed with the familiar neighing of the horse, and the noise of carriage wheels on cobblestone.

"Dammit," Lefou muttered softly, and dutifully chased Gaston out to the streets again.

"Lefou, go send for Maurice."

"Yep," Lefou replied tightly, and when he got to the jail, he faced the same resistant guard.

"Maurice."

"Who's authority, _tu con_?"

"Gaston's," Lefou snapped, rehearsed line coming out quickly. This made him worry even more- if his dream was true to each word and each action, how would this end?

Once Maurice was in the hands of Gaston and the villagers, Lefou waited expectantly for Belle's arrival- if she came, he would know, for certain, his dream was a premonition.

_There… she wasn’t coming. See? All stupid fancy, stuck in your head from last night._

Seconds ticked into minutes as Lefou began to feel a little better, no sounds of any approaching hooves disturbing the capture of the innocent man.

Lefou still felt terrible about that, but at the moment, he had bigger concerns.

"Well, bang up job, fellas, I think it's time we-" Lefou smiled nervously, regarding Tom, Dick and Stanley, but stopped in his tracks as he heard Belle's voice shout, "Stop!" from behind them all. His eyes sliding shut, he took a deep breath, and turned.

Gaston had to be stopped.

Again.

Ignoring Lefou's pleas, Gaston locked Belle up all the same after her revelation of the beast. The mob grew as it had, Gaston vowing to lead them, and just as before, Lefou found himself travelling on horseback to a castle that he knew now was certainly cursed.

"This is not a good idea, Gaston," Lefou kept repeating the entire way there. Finally, after the fourth time bugging him about it, Gaston turned, rage in his eyes as if he wanted to strangle his friend with his bare hands.

"Why, pray tell?!" he growled, and Lefou swallowed. Gaston always listened to him.

"B-because... well, um..."

_Because I don't want to see you die again, and I'm pretty fucking sure that's about to happen for real. Like, for real for real. And fuck if I'm gonna let that happen to you._

"Because we left the fire on!"

"Lefou, the entire village will burn anyway if we don't take care of this monster," Gaston snapped, and Lefou clenched his jaw, finally reaching his breaking point with the stubborn taller man.

"The only reason you're doing this, Gaston, is because you're jealous that a _creature_ could win Belle's heart, when she wouldn't even accept flowers from you!”

The slow turn of Gaston's head was enough to make Lefou instantly regret saying that, but instead of any physical violence he feared from Gaston, the angered man simply narrowed his eyes at him, something calculated and almost sad behind the amber orbs. It seemed as if he was going to say something incredibly meaningful for a few seconds, as if he was conflicted about something and wanted Lefou to know, but just as it had before, as it always did, a stony glare froze the responsive emotion over from Lefou, leaving Gaston to sneer at him.

"I don't know why I keep you by my side when all you do is talk me down from glorious triumphs."

With that, he kicked his horse to lead ahead, and Lefou was once again hit with a shocking ache in his stomach. Regardless of those hurtful words, he was determined to prevent the coming disaster, and swallowed the lump in his throat, pushing on after him.

Lefou's question as to whether or not the castle was haunted was still very much valid, as this was real now, and unlike the dream, you can be killed by very real threats. Lefou knew what was coming- maybe he could deter Gaston going upstairs if he could tread lightly enough to stop the attack downstairs!

"Hey," Lefou called out, startling all of the villagers and Gaston, "We're alright, we're not gonna... hurt you."

"Yes, good Lefou," Gaston murmured, "Lure him down with false comfort."

Lefou tried to smile, but Gaston didn't know he was actually talking to the inanimate objects. "Seriously, though? You really don't need to come to life and try to kill us."

"What?" Gaston asked, and began to take out his gun in preparation.

"Wait, Gaston, maybe you shouldn't-!" Lefou's eyes widened, and he panicked as he heard the teapot's call of " _Attack_!"

 "Gaston wait... no, don't- ah!" he closed his eyes in preparation for the coat hanger to smack him around, which came even harder than in the dream. When that was over, Lefou was subject to the toppling harpsichord, grabbing for Gaston and failing.

"Gaston... please."

"Sorry, old friend..." Gaston mumbled, backing away slowly, "It's hero time."

"Fu-" Lefou began to breath, but Cadenza cut him off by playing the death march on top of him.

Upstairs, Gaston ran out onto the roof, finding the beast there. A part of him still felt guilty for leaving Lefou downstairs, trapped under that instrument, but _no, this wasn't about Lefou, this was about Belle, it had always been about Belle, forget Lefou, he's... he's-_

Gaston ground his teeth together at his conflicted thoughts, and cocked his pistol. _Bury it, as I do with everything else, and get this done._

"Hello, beast. I'm Gaston... Belle sent me."

Ten minutes later downstairs, as feather dusters and objects alike continued to attack him, Lefou got a strange sense, and he just knew- he could feel it in his heart that Gaston had fallen, and that he hadn't been able to save him. There was no going back now. This wasn't a dream anymore, this was his one chance he had been given to right the wrong but now he was gone, dead, all because Lefou couldn't convince him to think this through- all because of one woman, who he had become obsessed with.

A crack of thunder, a flash of lightning.

 _Why couldn't he be obsessed with me? He loves me, doesn't he? Didn't he?_ There had to be something there, anything, but now there was nothing because he was dead, again, this time for real and there was nothing Lefou could do as tears formed and rolled and flowed, flowed, flowed until-

Silence.

The heat of sunshine on his skin.

_"I need six eggs!"_


	3. Chapter 3

No.

_Screw this._

He was going back to sleep.

_Impossible._

_Insanity._

_Black magic._

Lefou sat straight up in bed. Yes! Black magic, that was exactly it! Only...

That made no sense. That was Gaston’s logic, and the man had none.

Pounding a fist down into his bed, he kicked his shutters shut, sending the happy little birds flying off of his windowsill.

But maybe it did make sense... Lefou had seen enough over the past two (days? one day? one night? one night one day?) to accept anything. He got ready, and left.

"Come in, Lefou!"

"Yeah, don't mind if I do," Lefou muttered absently, not even bothering to hide his utter irritancy. Gaston turned to give him a strange look, but ultimately went back to brushing.

As they set off for their daily hunting expedition, Lefou ran over every single possibility in his mind.

There had been a curse at the castle, hadn’t there? Did that have something to do with this? It would have to- otherwise, there was no way something like this could ever be remotely possible.

"Lefou?"

"Hm?" the smaller man shook out of his thoughts, and Gaston huffed.

"Are you listening?"

Lefou's left eye twitched. "Of course I'm listening, Gaston. That's all I ever do."

Gaston smiled, completely soaring over Lefou's frustration. "Yes, good- so, I've been thinking that Maurice..."

Lefou tuned out again, trying to think of all the possible ways this could have been caused. His previous theory of the curse seemed the most plausible at this point- after all, he had seen a talking teapot yesterday. _Today._

He had to find a way to test this theory… he'd have to keep an eye out for any changes that may occur. Anyone who changes is, by reasonable deduction, behind all this or in on all of it with someone else Lefou could go murder.

This had better be a joke, and not some kind of eternal punishment. But the more he thought about it, the less sense that made as well. There was nothing that could pull this joke, except for a… a wizard? Of sorts?

_Mercy, he was going mad too._

By evening, he wasn't any further along in his reasoning as they headed back to town.

"Lefou, do I make a striking spectacle riding my horse this way?"

"Yep."

"Lefou, does this colour of scarlet compliment my eyes?"

"Yep."

"Lefou, is it true that every girl in town swoons when I walk by?"

"Yep."

"Are you in love with me?"

"Yep."

"Well, get in line!" Gaston began to laugh at his own joke, but Lefou jolted so hard he almost fell out of his saddle. He hadn't been expecting this... did this mean he broke the time loop? Did this mean that whoever did this had decided to break the... whatever this was? Or maybe, if he gave different answers, it just changed little things, never the actual outcome. Hopeful theories aside, Lefou was currently melting down over what he had just said.

"I meant... I was, I didn't hear..." Lefou tried weakly, panicking, and Gaston slapped him on the back with a playful grin.  

"I know, Lefou, calm yourself. I tricked you, it wasn't fair- I apologize."

Still... the air between them had grown a little less comfortable than the previous days had been.

The tension between them in Gaston's cottage was even worse this time around than it had been as well, their monotonous conversation made only interesting by Lefou's absentminded ramblings.

"What are you saying?" Gaston asked, exasperated.

"It's not checking out, this whole thing's not..." Lefou threw up his arms, "Gaston, pinch me."

"What? Why?"

"Do it. Slap me in the face."

Gaston blinked. "Lefou... perhaps I should take you to the infirmary."

"I don't need a doctor, I need you to punch me in the face so I can know for sure I'm awake."

"Lefou, I am not _punching_ you-"

Lefou turned around, grabbed Gaston's favourite pair of antlers hanging above the mantle, and snapped one off the wall, tossing it into the fire. Gaston gasped, and pinned him against the wall, knocking his back so hard against it Lefou felt the wind leave him.

"What are you trying to do?" Gaston growled, and Lefou rubbed the back of his sore head.

Okay, so he was awake, and now, so was his dick.

Lefou nudged Gaston away before his arousal became evident, and the hunter gave him a warning look.

 _Whatever. The damn antler would grow the fuck back when this day started over again,_ Lefou thought bitterly, collapsing on the floor dramatically. Gaston looked down at him, crossing his arms.

"Do you have a fever?"

Suddenly, as if they were funeral bells ringing in dire forewarning, the horses approached. Going through the same motions as before, as if in a daze, Lefou approached the jail attendant.

" _Maurice_."

"Who's auth-"

"Fuck you, that's whose."

The guard was about to protest, but just waved it off, deciding Lefou wasn't worth the effort in his snappy state. He just let Maurice out, and Lefou marched him back, apologizing again and again until he got there to Gaston.

"Stop!"

Belle came riding in from the castle, and Lefou felt like crying. He didn't want to see Gaston die again... he truly didn't. But there wasn't anything he could say to stop him.

 _But... maybe there’s something I can_ do.

"Gaston, there's something I need to tell you," Lefou firmly asserted, taking a deep breath to bolster his own courage.

"Quiet!" Gaston hissed absently.

"Oh no, this _really_ needs to be said."

"Lefou, not now!"

"You're gonna die!"

Gaston stopped, and turned around, stalking back to him and grabbing him by the collar with both hands. "Are you threatening me, Lefou? Do you truly think that's _wise_?"

"No, I'm-" Lefou let out a groan, and pried Gaston's hands off him, desperately grabbing him by the shoulders. "Look, you idiot! We're caught in some sort of time loop, and you're _going_ to die if you go to that castle and fight the beast!"

There was silence, and the villagers all began to laugh at him- Lefou hadn't even noticed they were listening to him. _Well, of course they were,_ he thought bitterly, _how could they miss out on a chance to laugh at the town fool?_ Instead of laughing with the others, Gaston simply watched him with curiosity- either curiosity, or plain horror at how far his friend had fallen from sanity. His expression softened a little, giving Lefou a false sense of hope.

_He believes me! It worked!_

"Lefou... it pains me to do this," the hunter whispered to Lefou, though his words weren't without malice, "Lock him up with Belle and her father!"

"What?" Lefou squeaked. Shocked again as he was pushed and shoved toward the cart, he heard Stanley's quiet accent in his ear murmuring a quick apology to him before his three comrades threw him in with the two angry people he least wanted to share a wagon with. Lefou curled his fingers around the bars, shaking against them.

_How could he possibly get through to Gaston?_

A half an hour went by, the village now painfully quiet and bereft of anyone but the creepy D'Arque, patrolling. Lefou tried to hit the lock, watching as it swung uselessly.

"What are you doing?" Belle asked in irritation. Lefou ignored her, trying to make a grab for the lock again. Maurice wasn't budging, and with good reason- no matter how extensively Lefou apologized, his silence after what he had stood by and watched was inexcusable, even now.

"What are you trying to do?" Belle repeated insistently, and Lefou sighed.

"I'm trying to get out."

"A common goal," Maurice grumbled, not looking up.

"You don't understand, I don't have much time, it's _going_ to happen."

"What is?"

"Gaston is going to fall to his death, and I won't be there to save him."

"All that?" Lefou looked back at Belle as she spoke up again, and Belle's nose scrunched up. "About the... time loop? Did you really mean it?"

"Yep. Time loop. Crazy shit."

Belle was quiet for a second, then chewed her bottom lip. "Tell me something."

"Mhmm?"

She shifted uncomfortably, then hesitated again, as if she was trying to figure out how best to word her question.

"Was it... the beast? Who kills him?" she finally managed out, wincing as she prepared for an answer. Lefou looked at her, noticed how deeply she cared through the desperation in her eyes that rivalled only his own.

"You believe me?"

"I'm willing to believe anything now."

"Well... the answer is no," Lefou muttered gently, looking down, "No, the beast lets him go."

"So..." Belle deduced, swallowing, "Gaston... falls?"

"Essentially, yes. After..."

"After?" Belle inclined her head with an apprehensive frown, already beginning to formulate the outcome here.

"After he..." Lefou shook his head dismissively. "Look, I have no idea what happens to the beast. All I know is, whenever Gaston dies, I wake back up again and have to repeat the day."

"My god, and you people call me crazy?" Maurice taunted, and Belle gave her father a look.

"I believe you," she looked back, raising her eyebrows at him earnestly, "I do. I've seen enough to know you're telling the truth. But... it feels like a normal day to me."

"Good for you. It's nice to not have to compliment your vain best friend on his hair every single morning without fail in fear of disturbing the rift of time."

Even Maurice turned to scoff at this one, and Lefou suddenly felt a stab of guilt.

"I'm... sorry, Belle. I'm being a complete asshole to you, and you're very understanding. I'm just-" he sighed, running a hand through his now messy curls, "I just really need to get to him."

Then, the feeling of dread began to creep up on him, and he heard the faint yell in his ears of someone plummeting to their demise- how could he hear from here?

"No," he growled, hitting the bars furiously, "No, this can't be happening! I can stop it, I can- if I only had the chance-"

"There's no way of...?" Belle began to ask, leaning forward to grasp Lefou's arm, but as soon as he felt the touch on him, he felt it slip away as everything flashed white again. Lefou's eyes closed only to open again in his own bed, comfortable, warm, and disoriented.

* * *

  _Magical._

He got up, cracking each egg slowly and carefully watching it drain into his pan. He'd be damned if he didn't end this nightmare today, by figuring out just who was behind the grating repetition. Whoever it was would slip up sooner or later- at some point, they would make some mistake that Lefou would notice, and then he'd have a way out of this hell.

Until then, he would patiently play along with this cruel game, until he could finish it- he only had to pay attention properly.

Making it through the day in a zombie-like trance, he began to foray into the dangerous territory of over thinking.

_What if this was hell?_

Oh, he knew he should have convinced Gaston to go back and untie Maurice- now he was paying for it, eternally doomed to watch his one true love die and die and die again-

"Dear god, look at her."

Lefou was snapped out of his thoughts by Gaston's uttered phrase. He didn't remember that coming out of his mouth before amidst all his boasting... was this different? Something new to add to the roster?

"Who?" Lefou asked, disconcerted as he followed his friend's gaze.

"Agathe," Gaston murmured, voice dripping with both condescending pity and disgust, "That filthy hag's always wandering around the village, begging for scraps. Can't she just..." he gestured his hand with distaste, "Move to Paris or something?"

"That would require a horse and carriage, Gaston, something poor people lack," Lefou sighed.

"Hmm," Gaston hummed, scowling. That's when Lefou saw it- Agathe turned her head to look at Lefou- straight at him. It all suddenly hit him; she didn't walk this way the last three times, did she?! And the other two days... she had been wearing a plain grey dress, hadn't she?! Today she wore a red apron over it!

_A god damn red apron._

"THAT'S IT!" Lefou screeched, nearly knocking Gaston off his horse next to him, "DAMMIT!"

"Lefou-!" Gaston began to scramble for words at his friend's rowdy behaviour, but Lefou was already kicking his horse to run toward the village.

Once he caught up with Agathe, Lefou dismounted, and crossed his arms as she walked ahead of him.

"You?"

She turned slightly, feigning innocence. "Pardon, sir?"

"Don't give me that. You're the only thing that's changed over the past three days. Or one day. Or- you know what I mean!"

Agathe's face was stony, but her lips tugged up ever so slightly, and Lefou's suspicions were confirmed.

"My god... I always knew you were weird." He balled his fists. "But how-? What... _are_ you?! How are you... even... _why_?!"

"I'm afraid many of your questions will remain unanswered for the time being," the grimy woman informed Lefou, "But before you protest... tell me one thing. Do you truly believe he loves you back?"

Lefou was taken aback by the question, and looked around to see if anyone who was within earshot could decipher their conversation. " _What_?"

"Do you, Monsieur Lefou... believe Gaston loves you?" she raised her eyebrows plainly.

"I..." Lefou had a billion questions swirling around in his head still. How did Agathe _know_ this? Was she really that observant? Then again, she had basically just admitted to being the one responsible for this insanity, so that could mean she knew everything about Lefou couldn't it? Of course, even if she couldn't, Lefou could admit that he wasn't as subtle in his mannerisms as he could be some nights at the tavern...

"I'd draw the conclusion that he... may harbour affections, yes," Lefou finally managed out defensively, "Though it would take some coaxing and a dose of humility for him to realize it, but over the years, I feel we've developed... something... well, he's... I'm-" Lefou cocked his head as Agathe began shaking her head.

"He feels nothing for you."

Lefou blinked. "Wow, you should do weddings, you're a cheery lady."

"I see everything in this town... and Monsieur Gaston is not worth your time."

_She sees everything in this town? Honestly?_

"What colour are my breeches right now?" he asked as a test, eyes narrowed. Agathe rolled her eyes and turned around, starting to walk away. "Wait! Wait, I... I need your help. I mean... if you started it, can't you stop it?"

"You must learn first, Monsieur. Learn from what I can show you. Only then can you truly be free of the inevitable."

Lefou let out a huff, dumbfounded. What the hell did that even mean? He wanted to inquire further, but she was already turning again. Suddenly though, before she whisked off, she stopped.

"By the way... your plum breeches are very becoming, I'm sure. I only wish you could find someone to appreciate them."

Lefou stood there, mouth hanging open as Agathe sauntered away. He heard a horse rear up behind him, and was startled out of his shock by Gaston.

"You didn't give her anything, did you?" he frowned in disapproval, "People like her need to learn how to hold their own. Why, when I was a lad, my father made me join the army aged 15! See what that landed me with? Discipline! Reverence! Worship!"

"An untimely demise," Lefou muttered under his breath, and Gaston looked down.

"What was that?"

"I said, and beautiful eyes!" Lefou offered up with a smile, and Gaston shifted on his horse, pleased.

"Yes, one can't argue with that Lefou. Now- shall we?"

Lefou got onto the back of Gaston's horse, as his own lazy mule had been left behind in the field to graze; it would find its way back soon enough. Lefou had to remind himself as they trotted through the village not to wrap his arms around Gaston's middle, or place his hands on his hips. He might have accidentally grabbed onto him for support though, when the horse stepped on a funny brick.

And Gaston may not have removed Lefou's hands- that had to be a good sign.

Just as they approached Gaston's house, though, Lefou caught sight of Agathe once more, accompanied by a meaningful glance sent his way from that chilling woman.

The door closed behind them.

"Lefou, something still weighs on my mind."

Lefou yawned. "Same with me, but can I tell anybody? No."

Gaston hesitated, befuddlement etched into his features. "Well..." he gestured with a hand, "You first, then."

Lefou sighed, giving him the bitchiest look he could possibly fathom. "Please, I insist- tell me about Maurice and how he _must_ be stopped, I'd love to hear that again."

"Well, I was just going to say, Maurice must be s-" the hunter's eyes narrowed, mouth parting. "Hold on..."

"Gaston, you need to calm down," Lefou fell back into his role before his companion realized anything, sweeping over to massage his shoulders.

"Mmm... I am calm," the hunter protested, though he shrugged his shoulders a few times to rid himself of any tension.

"But you're not looking at this with a rational mind."

"On the contrary, Lefou... I'm looking at it with a perfectly rational mind. If I want... _Belle_ to marry me, I have to take drastic measures."

The uncertainty in Gaston's voice didn't go unnoticed by Lefou; he was intrigued.

"Belle?" he decided to press. This was one way of doing it.

"Yes... Belle," Gaston replied, almost breathlessly. Neither men had realized just how close their proximity had become through the massage.

"You know who else is here, Gaston?" Lefou bit his lip, going for it. This was it- make or break. Gaston didn't respond, only white-knuckled the arm of his chair and flickered his gaze down to Lefou's lips before glancing back up to his eyes. "Someone who's been by your side for years. As long as either of us can remember, this person has been there through it all, and they're getting tired, Gaston, because they have no idea if..."

Gaston's chest rose and fell. "If...?"

"If..." Lefou's eyebrows knit, knowing the sad truth in the back of his mind that this man was about to be rejected one too many times by Belle and go on to fall from a damn tower.

Cue: the ever-inopportune interruption of the carriage.

Gaston got up, the moment broken an infuriating fourth time, and Lefou did as he had to, following and getting Maurice (boy, did that rude guard get some scathing sass tonight) until Gaston was loading him into the cart.

"Gaston?" he asked, putting a hand on his arm. Gaston tensed as he did every other time in his state, but as Lefou had refrained from discouraging him, he listened at least.

"What is it?"

"There's..."

_There's still time. You can stop this. You can run away with me, you can live. We can both show Agathe that you do love me, that she's wrong._

"There's no time to lose."

Gaston's grin was immediate at Lefou's support, and Lefou got some kind of sick gratification from knowing he brought it to his friend's face. Now, if only he would smile like that after they had kissed, or after they had spent the night together, or something adversely not-gruesome like that.

Lefou stayed by Gaston's side the entire night, up until the stairs. As he was caught behind, the harpsichord fell- so did his spirits, and so did Gaston.


	4. Chapter 4

_"I need six eggs!"_

Alright. Operation Bolster was a go.

Today, Lefou would turn the flirting up to 2000, and wouldn't stop until Gaston was ridiculously smitten with him. Being meek and insecure had gotten him nowhere with his oblivious friend, so this plan had to work. He would show Agathe- he would show that witch that Gaston really did love him, if it was the last thing he did. 

Lefou sauntered up to Gaston's door, slicking back his hair. This time, he didn't even knock, just let himself in and proudly walked up to his friend.

"Lefou!" Gaston said, surprised, yet not displeased by his entrance, "Good morning!"

"Morning, handsome," Lefou winked, and Gaston nearly choked, his smile dropping immediately and his hairbrush faltering. Saying nothing, he then straightened his jacket, undoing a few buttons of his shirt and ignoring the gravity of what Lefou had just said. "You're looking good," Lefou continued, admiring Gaston's body, and the hunter shifted under his gaze.

"I... I know, Lefou. Anyway, let's be off, shall we?"

Lefou smirked to himself as he followed. He was already getting a rise out of him, and day had just broke.

The day of hunting was one that Lefou would never forget- if it counted as a real day. Immediately upon their foray into the woods, Lefou started to hit on his friend like the proper Casanova he wasn't.

"Gaston, you look simply stunning on top of your horse like that..." he bit his lip.

Gaston smiled, rolling his head back as he basked in this. "You truly think so?"

Problem was, Lefou already complimented him enough on a daily basis that Gaston simply took it as nothing more than his usual dose of praise.

"I know so," Lefou replied with a soft, dreamy sigh. Gaston smirked a little, and kept riding on, so that Lefou got a good view of his backside... or what he could see of it presently.

Lefou joined Gaston atop the hill as he used his telescope to spot any animals near.

"What a beautiful view," Lefou commented, and Gaston nodded.

"It is, isn't i-"

"Oh, and the hills look nice today too."

Gaston's words caught in his throat, as he began to wonder what had gotten into his typically more reserved companion. The problem was, he couldn't decide if he liked the praise or if it troubled him coming from Lefou like this... it disturbed him even further to find it was affecting him.

"You may be the town hero, Gaston..." Lefou interrupted Gaston's train of thought again, "But you're already the hero of my hea-"

"Lefou," Gaston said shortly, and straightened up, clearing his throat. "I've been thinking."

"Ah," Lefou nodded along, anticipating the next line as always, "Had a change of heart toward Maurice?"

"No... I thought I told you to forget about the old man. No, I was thinking about my, ehm..." he shifted again, and Lefou questioned if Gaston's saddle was on right or if he was just fidgety today, "My future wife. It peaks my curiosity, you know… wondering where she _has_ scampered off to."

"Perhaps she's scampered off to an enchanted castle, to fall in love with a beast."

"What was that?"

"Just thinking aloud- go on, darling."

"Yes, well-" Gaston stopped, suddenly rendered utterly speechless at the pet name. Had he... heard that right?

"My, what a specimen!" Lefou gasped, and Gaston brought his telescope back up quickly, searching for the prize beast Lefou was pointing out. Then he heard the shorter man laugh. "Not out there, Gaston... I was talking about the man in front of me." Lefou winked again, and patted his pony to take him down the hill as he left Gaston stuttering and blushing.  

And such ended that bothersome conversation of future wives.  

Lefou said hello to everyone in the town today, as if he didn't have a care in the world. He was suddenly so self assured and frankly, out of character, that Gaston finally pulled him aside as afternoon turned to evening, pinning him to the exterior wall of a shop.

"What are you doing, Lefou?" His voice was growling, his tone a little more menacing than Lefou had expected. The shorter man put up his hands, unable to keep away the shudder that ensued as a result of their proximity. Gaston's lips were so close... _they_ were so close...

"I'm trying to save you," Lefou whispered back, and twirled a finger in one of Gaston's ebony wisps. Gaston jerked away, running his own hand through his hair in exasperation, and when he turned back, his expression was stern.

"You're acting like a madman today. You're embarrassing yourself, and I won't stand for it."

"On the contrary, Monsieur, I'm _not_ embarrassing myself for the first time in my entire life," Lefou cracked a small, empty smile, but Gaston just scowled in return.

"I don't have time for this. I have to figure out a way to find Belle- the girl can't run from me forever."

Lefou felt like pulling his hair out. Gaston was like a dog with a bone- however disinterested he was with something or someone, if it or they didn't want him back, he saw it as a challenge and he _would not relent_. Lefou dreaded the awful moment tonight, when Belle would start the ball rolling on Gaston's manic hate again... he despised seeing that contempt, that twisted fury he didn't recognize in Gaston's eyes.

They walked on. After a few moments, even despite his prior chastisement, Gaston still turned before they could get any further.

"Lefou... are you warm enough? The air is chilly this evening."

_Fuck, this was hard. This was so, so hard._

Before long, the two were back in Gaston's cottage, skinning meat.

"Something still weighs on my mind."

"Something weighs on mine as well," Lefou interjected, and Gaston looked over, frowning.

"Well, I was going to start, but... you first, then."

"Gaston, you and I..." Lefou took a deep breath, avoiding Gaston's uneasy stare altogether as he soldiered on through this confession, "We grew up together. You saved me from that bully. You saved me from enemy soldiers. You saved me from ridicule in town. You've saved my life countless times, and now... I need to do the same by telling you something."

"I... don't understand what you could possibly-"

"You don't need to understand, you just need to listen to me," Lefou almost pleaded, urgent tears gathering in his eyes, "I- I have feelings for you!"

Suddenly, Gaston grimaced, an expression of vulnerability Lefou had rarely ever seen on him. Like he wanted to say something. Like he wanted to kiss Lefou, or touch him, or _something_. 

"I am going to marry Belle, Lefou. There may have been a time when I felt..." he closed his eyes, thumb grazing Lefou's chin, "Something of affection for you..." His thumb retracted cautiously. "But you are not a woman. What you feel for me... whatever it is, it isn't natural, and you are not the one I'm to grow old with. You must understand." He seemed conflicted, almost begging Lefou to give up.

Lefou nodded slowly, and looked up at the ceiling. Every one of these damn days was like getting knocked out in a boxing ring, then getting back up again and having to face more, usually worse, punches. 

_Thanks, Agathe._

_Fucking bitch._

* * *

_"I need six eggs!"_

"I'll give you six god damn reasons to shut your whore mouth!" Lefou shouted out his window, counting each knuckle on his fist. When he only came up with four, things got awkward, so he just slammed the thing shut, getting up.

He didn't eat breakfast. Nothing could be worse than this, so why should he eat anything?

The morning past, the afternoon past, and Lefou started to formulate an alternate plan, thinking of just who could help him. Maybe if he could get someone else involved... didn't something like that happen before?

"Belle!" Lefou exclaimed, and Gaston's eyes widened.

"Where?!"

"No, I'm-" Lefou sighed, "Talking out loud again."

"Again?"

"Yeah, I was just doing it yesterday. Today."

"Are you-"

"I'm fine, yes, don't need a doctor, don't need a coat, I know the morning air is chilly and _blah blah blah,_  we both know I would totally take that coat and cherish it any other day, but right now, I just need to think, okay?"

Gaston just stared at him for a minute, then shrugged, going back to stalking an antelope he found. To the soundtrack of Gaston's frequent gunshots echoing through the otherwise peaceful trees, Lefou thought. He had told Belle before, on one of the past days, and she had believed him, right? She had even reached out, ready to help him, before they were too late... if he could get to her and give her the spiel again, she could probably help him get to the castle a different way, avoid the fight, and get up to the towers to save Gaston.

Of course, if he wanted to engage Belle, it meant he had to find a way to get himself in Gaston's bad books again. Evidently, that currently didn't seem altogether too hard.

Night fell, Monsieur D'Arque arrived, and not long after, so did Belle, right on schedule to piss Gaston off. Lefou later nodded to himself as Gaston began gathering the mob; now was the perfect time to go crazy.

"Gaston," Lefou tapped him on the shoulder, and when Gaston turned, Lefou grabbed his friend's hand, kissing it. "I want to have all your babies, you gorgeous, godly man!" The gasps from the townspeople (and a couple of women fainting) almost made Lefou wince, but this was all for one goal, which he had to keep in his mind's eye. Gaston drew back, and Lefou kept his eyes downcast, afraid of the disgusted look he may be met with if he looked up- even if he was faking this, he had never fully come out to Gaston, and...

 Sure enough, his plan worked- it landed him right in the madhouse cart, with Belle and Maurice. They both looked shocked, as they had been watching the entire thing.

"You're...?" Belle asked, unsure of what to call it.

"I am," Lefou affirmed, waiting for more hatred from the two... but none came. He took this as an opportunity to elaborate. "I mean... not to that extent- but I am, uhm... I do prefer the company of... men."

 There. He said it out loud to someone at least, even though it was largely irrelevant right now.

"Then, my boy," Maurice reached forward to put a hand on Lefou's shoulder, "That was a very brave thing to do. Stupid..."

"But definitely brave," Belle finished with a nod.

Lefou felt his heart warm a little at the acceptance he never thought he'd find with these two in particular... but he quickly snapped himself back to reality as Gaston simultaneously led the pack of villagers into the forest.

"I have to get out of here."

"A common goal," Maurice huffed, but Lefou was prepared for that line this time.

"Yes- and that's what we're going to do, sir."

Belle opened her mouth slowly. "I need to get to the beast, to warn him... what urgency have you to get out?"

Lefou rubbed his hands together. "Okay, here it is- I'll explain it really fast so it doesn't sound nearly as nuts. I'm caught in a time loop, and every night, like tonight, Gaston is going to die when he attacks the beast on the tower-"

"He attacks the beast?!"

"Yes, but don't worry, at least you get your happy ending... I think. Now, I need your help to try and show Gaston just how much he loves me." 

"Hold on... just how much _he_ loves _you_?"

"Yeah, compliments of Agathe."

"Agathe?!" Belle shrieked, "Wait, wait- you mean the poor beggar woman?"

"Yep, that's her."

"You must be mistaken, Lefou, I give her jam and bread every day, I talk to her, she's not..." the brunette shook her head adamantly.

"Oh yeah, she's a real peach," Lefou pursed his lips, "She doesn't deserve your jam, lemme tell you."

Belle's astonishment shone through. "My god... she must be the enchantress who cursed the beast's castle!"

"Yay, revelations all around! Now can we break out, before Gaston hurtles to his death again? I really can't take the egg lady for a sixth time."

"Okay, I'm going to pretend I know what that means," Belle whispered, then turned to her father expectantly.

"You sure we shouldn't just leave him here?" Maurice muttered to his daughter, looking Lefou up and down, "The madhouse might do him some good."

"Listen- I believe you," Belle told Lefou, despite her father's comments, "Of course I do. I'd believe anything now, after what I've seen." Lefou feigned surprise, even though it was all progressing exactly how he had planned.

"You do?! Oh, mademoiselle... please help me escape, so I can warn my love, and you can warn yours."

"Monsieur Gaston and Monsieur Lefou," Maurice mused aloud, "Who'd have thought it? I never knew our _charming_ captain was-"

Belle looked over to her father, taking in a sharp breath. "Papa?"

"-in love," he finished pointedly, raising his eyebrows kindly. Belle's features softened, then her father took her wrist gently, rolling her hand over. "Belle," he said in a hush, "This... is _dangerous_."

"Yes! Yes it is," Belle nodded desperately, waiting still for Maurice's assistance.

"I..." the old artist sighed, sitting up a little more. Though he probably wished it didn't show, he seemed just a tad excited to finally be doing something useful again. "I could try to pick the lock! After all, it's only gears and things... but I'd need something long and sharp-" He was cut off by Belle handing him her hair pin, which was indeed, long and sharp.

"Why do I feel like this is a common occurrence?" Lefou smirked.

"What, the getting captured, or the mind-reading?" Belle laughed, "Because both are quite frequent."

Maurice gave a laugh as well, then got to working on the lock until he had successfully evaded the mechanism. The three crept out before D'Arque could pace by again and find the cart empty.

Belle and Lefou raced to the castle on horseback as Maurice called after them to stay safe, and when they finally got there, Lefou raced inside. He could feel the castle shake every now and again, which meant the moment was drawing nearer. Belle went up the stairs with him.

"Hello, beast," Gaston was smirking, "I'm Gaston... Belle sent me."

The beast looked up to the intruding man with tired eyes, almost welcoming the impeding gunshot as the three finally reached the opposite tower. Lefou had only seen an image of this beast in the magic mirror, and had to take a moment to marvel at the startling creature before calling for the hunter.

"Gaston!"

Gaston whipped around at the voice, visibly shaken by it.

"Lefou? What are you doing here?!"

"Belle!" the beast suddenly distracted both of them by realizing the young woman had also accompanied Lefou up to the west towers.

Gaston looked away from where he had just aimed his gun at the beast. "Belle?" Gaston repeated, and Lefou grimaced _._

_No, not now..._

"How can you be so blind, Gaston?!" Belle asked him, and Gaston took a step forward.

"What?"

"I'm not the one you're looking for- I never have been."

With that, she revealed the quiver she had stolen from him moments ago, and broke it the arrows over her knee. Gaston's face changed from confusion right back to rage, when he grabbed her wrist roughly.

"When we get back to the village, you will marry me, and that beast's head will hang on our _wall_!"

"Never!" Belle cried, and tried to grab Gaston's gun as well, but failed in her attempt as Gaston held onto it. They fought over the weapon, but Lefou knew what to do.

"Gaston, stop!" he said again, but this time, Gaston was having none of it.

"You," he growled, backing Lefou into a corner, "Should not be up here."

"Neither should you," Lefou retorted, and Belle used this time to run to the beast across the bridge, who was waiting with open arms on the balcony.  

"I am going to kill this beast, and you will have no part in it any longer!" Gaston shouted. Lefou looked past Gaston's shoulder as rain poured down over them, thunder cracking ominously in the sky. Belle and the beast were embracing... and yes, while the creature was not something Lefou could ever see anyone loving, it was apparent they had found what he had been chasing for years.

"Look at them," Lefou breathed, drenched hair matted against his face, "Look at what they have!"

"Nothing I won't get," Gaston snapped, turning in a flurry.

"Wait!" Lefou called, but he suddenly felt something shift under him. With a startled yelp, he noticed the stone underneath him was caving. "Gaston! _Gaston!!_ "

"No!" Belle screamed distantly, and the sound of the castle crumbling further filled the air. The last thing Lefou saw was his friend turning back around, eyes widening as he reached out a hand to grab Lefou's... but it was too late.

 _Is this the end, then?_ Lefou had the chance to think as he waited for the impact of the cold, wet ground.

Not yet. No... not yet.

And so started a chain of terrible luck for Lefou.

The next repeat of the day, he tried the same- this time, before the ground crumbled beneath his feet, lightning struck on the tower and used him as a rod.

Following- Lefou was standing a little too close to that wagon of hay when Gaston tossed the torch.

Next- Lefou's horse strayed from the path on the mob's way to the castle, sending him down a creepy little path right into...

"Hey there, little fellas," Lefou had chuckled nervously at the four wolves backing him against a tree, "Aww, please no..."

Another time found the poor man watching as the harpsichord fell from a particularly ridiculous height- had it always been that high? No, that had to be exclusive to this run.

Agathe, ever present, walked by him smugly up the castle steps as he felt the instrument crush his ribs... what had he ever done to prompt such a cruel curse?

_My future wife, Belle..._

_If I want Belle to marry me..._

_Do you want to be next?!_

_He feels nothing for you... Monsieur Gaston is not worth your time._

The memories and words swirled around him in a whirlwind of bitter reminders, searing into his brain... he saw no end to this. Still, the image of that strange desperation in Gaston's eyes every time they got closer grounded Lefou in his beliefs that yes, Gaston _did_ love him back, truly... he just needed to understand what that meant, and admit it. 

Needless to say, Lefou was ready for the sweet release of actual, real, permanent death after more of the horrible fate.

"Live long enough to see your partner die, or kick the bucket yourself," Lefou muttered, "Clever."

More time passed, but every single attempt was just as unsuccessful (or brutally painful) as the last. Every time, Gaston- or, on occasion, Lefou- died. Soon he began to solemnly realize that perhaps Agathe had been right, all along. Everything he did differently mattered not in the scheme of things.

Of course, there was still one option he hadn't exhausted.


	5. Chapter 5

On the fifteenth day, the sun shone in, but Lefou didn't feel it anymore. He was numb to sensation- barely even registered the voices outside, or the feel of his clothes against his skin. The only thing on his mind was Gaston.

Gaston never returned his looks... did he? Maybe behind his back... but that was wishful thinking. Gaston never seemed to care for Lefou as much as Lefou cared for him...

_Agathe was right._

_She was actually right._

"Come in, Lefou!"

"You look incredible."

"I know, Lefou."

"Lead the way."

"Lefou, I've been thinking about my future wife. It peaks my curiosity, you know, wondering where she has scampered off to."

"Oh?" Lefou was weary... so weary. They continued the song and dance until they were at the mouth of the woods again.

"Are you warm enough? The morning air is chilly."

Lefou closed his eyes with a shallow breath. "You know... I am a little chilly, Gaston."

"Mmm," Gaston nodded, and Lefou ducked his head to hide the tears welling in his eyes as his friend draped his coat over his shoulders. "There you are."

They rode on.

"Lefou, do I make a striking spectacle riding my horse this way?"

"You do."

"Lefou, does this colour of scarlet compliment my eyes?"

"Every day."

"Lefou, is it true that every girl in town swoons when I walk by?"

"There isn't a soul, Gaston, who wouldn't."

They got back to the cabin.

"Lefou, something still weighs on my mind... are- are you listening?"

"Yes," Lefou nodded. That's all he had ever done, really- listen. Listening to the same thing over, and over, about this girl or that, now Belle. He could listen one last time for as long as Gaston needed him to, for it would be just that- one last time.

"The more I think of it, the more I’m sure. Maurice is a danger to this town, and to my courtship of Belle. With him out of the picture, everything will run smoothly."

“You’re right,” Lefou smiled sadly, sitting beside Gaston on the arm of his chair. This time, he didn't even bother trying to dissuade him. Why would it work? It was a laughable thought, really.

When D'Arque arrived, the same sinking feeling overtook Lefou- that couldn't be helped- but this part was unavoidable. He had learned that he couldn't change Gaston, and it was almost time to give up...

But then, he felt that nagging at the back of his mind. He had one last idea he hadn't implemented yet... but he couldn't.

Could he?

As Gaston's open, joyous mood soon shifted when Belle arrived with her claims, Lefou thought about getting her help again, but quickly reminded himself what good that did him the last sixteen times. Instead, Lefou waited for Gaston to form the mob, and, as he did the fifth time, he took his arm.

"Gaston," he whispered, and Gaston turned angrily.

"What is it, Lefou?!"

Lefou swallowed, meeting Gaston's eyes, and felt a glimmer of courage left inside of him.

"Gaston..." he mustered up all the bravery he could, thinking of all the years he had spent with this man, waiting at his side. He had to tell him- really tell him- it was the last chance, their last hope. "Gaston... I- I love you."

Gaston's eyes widened a little. Lefou flinched, waiting for a slap or a cruel laugh, perhaps a shove or a snarl. But Gaston just stared as he had before, his expression unchanging, until it eventually softened more than it ever had on this wretched day.  

"Listen to me," he murmured, far gentler than Lefou thought he would be, "In a better world, I could look at you and do more than smile." His voice was hushed, lower than could be heard by the villagers. "In a better world, I could sweep you off your feet and make you mine. But we don't live in a better world, we live in a little town. This _is_ our world, Lefou... good things don't happen to simple people like us. I have to marry Belle. I must make _her_ mine."

And just like that, Lefou realized many things- he realized Gaston hadn't been as oblivious as he seemed all this time... and he realized it was time to resign himself to the fact that he would never come to terms with how he felt.

"Let's kill the beast!" Gaston shouted, pushing past Lefou, and the shorter man nodded.

If this is the monster Gaston would become no matter what he said or tried to confess, Agathe was right.

_She was right._

_She was right._

_She was right, stupid, she was right. You were wasting your time, you were wasting your life! How could he ever love you back? Look at you, and look at him._

 Lefou hated being proven wrong- but here he was, crying. As the mob rushed around him, past him, almost over him, he felt hands grabbing him, hoisting him up onto a horse. He followed to the castle.

The battle ensued, and Lefou made sure to save the teapot. She seemed nice, and he didn't want her to crack for good if he really was going to end this all tonight. Before anything else could happen to him, Lefou followed Gaston up the stairs. He watched him ascend to the tower, revelling in the last few moments he would ever see him, and reluctantly followed, knowing Agathe was watching, waiting, no doubt laughing about this whole thing.

"Hello, beast. I'm Gaston... Belle sent me."

Lefou watched still as Belle appeared eventually at a lower tower, stealing Gaston's arrows and breaking them. The fight ensued, and Lefou gazed on in awe as the huge creature lashed out against Gaston. As a natural reflex, Lefou wanted to help him, but there was nothing he could do to save Gaston from that. His heart began to pound.

See, he had never seen this happen yet. After all these days of the same old events, he had never actually witnessed Gaston's death with his own eyes; only the gruesome aftermath, something he would never erase from his mind as long as he happened to live from this point on.

The beast grabbed Gaston by the throat, and held him out over the turret, rain falling all around them.

"Please! Don't let me go... I'll do anything! Please don't hurt me, beast..." the hunter begged. Belle gasped, and Lefou saw the beast lean in close and whisper something to the struggling Gaston.  Preparing to step off the roof and fall with him, Lefou took a breath and shuffled closer to the edge... then he saw the beast toss Gaston down, away from him to safety.

"Go... _get out_!"

Gaston ran- but he didn't run down, as he should have. He ran back up to where the beast had just jumped from to be with Belle. Belle and the creature reunited, embracing and touching each other's face lovingly.

Then Lefou saw it. Gaston raising an arm, gun loaded.

This is how he would end it. He admitted defeat- he would wake up tomorrow morning to a rainy day, to mud puddles outside his house, and his best friend's cottage would be oddly empty when he went and visited it.

Or maybe he wouldn't wake up at all.

A single tear rolled down Lefou's cheek, mixing with the rain drops as he stepped out of the shadows of the west wing balcony and in front of the beast, taking Gaston's fired bullet.

" _NO_!" he heard faintly, though he couldn't tell who it belonged to this time. It could have been Belle... it could have been Gaston himself... hell, it could have been the beast, for all Lefou could hear. Or maybe he had just imagined it.

_Yes, that seemed the most plausible._

Patches of black began appearing around the sides of his vision- this was definitely not happening as quick as it did with the other few times... Lefou wished he could just get this over with without seeing Gaston's face, so he could finally move on.

"Lefou," he heard, and this time, it was unmistakably Gaston's voice, albeit cracked and weaker than he had ever heard him. "Lefou, dear, sweet Lefou..."

_What? Not a moment ago, he had seemed ready to kill him..._

Lefou rolled his head up, looking at a terrified Gaston through bleary, fading eyes. He tried to say something, some sort of goodbye, but all that slipped out was a slurred humming sound and a burdened breath.

"No... no, Lefou, you can't... you can't leave me," Gaston was breathing heavily, shaking his head obstinately, "Not like this. Not so soon... _I'm_ the reckless one. I was supposed to go first, don't you remember? God dammit, don't you remember, Lefou?!" he was losing his composure, eyes dancing wildly between Lefou's own as hair fell into his face, "When we were children, we... we told each other we would never... we wouldn't ever-" Gaston stopped speaking to lean down, bury his face into the nape of Lefou's neck, and let out a deep gasp against him. He was a pitiable sight, the great hero, crying into Lefou's bloodied shirt. The dying man was barely coherent anymore, but he could still hear Gaston's words. From beside them, the beast held Belle in his arms as she sobbed into him, watching what transpired. It almost felt intrusive of them to stand with no offer of consolation, but it was best not to approach a man this distraught, not yet.

From behind them, standing at the rose, Agathe observed stoically, waiting.

"Lefou," Gaston hissed, shaking him wildly and getting crimson all over his hands. The man beneath him was staring straight ahead, any sign of life gone from his eyes. Gaston pulled his head onto his lap, eyes red with tears. His grief soon turned to resentment. "...Lefou?! You _won't_ leave me! I won't let you! Why were you so damn stupid?! So, so stupid, you damn _fool_... I hate you, I hate you, I..."

He buried his face again, clutching Lefou's now lifeless body to him and letting out a feeble cry. "My god, I... I love you!"

Agathe looked up just as she was about to turn the day one last time, eyes unable to hide the shock. Belle also looked up at this, wiping her eyes. Gaston himself seemed surprised as well, but no retractions were made as the hunter pressed a long kiss to Lefou's cold, pale forehead and squeezed his clammy hand.

The Enchantress' appearance melted away, as she realized what she had to do. True to her word always, she did start the day over- only, the sun shone down over the castle, where the four remained in a flash of light.

A bright golden glow overtook them all, and when it disappeared, the beast wasn't a beast any longer. He was a man, with long blonde hair and immodestly shredded clothing.

Belle seemed hesitant at first to approach, but as she took a step forward and gazed into his eyes, she recognized the blue orbs almost immediately.

"My love... it is you!" Grasping hands, they kissed until they had to pause for breath, but shared no delighted laughter yet, as it looked unlikely that Lefou would still wake up.

Gaston felt like punching something. He watched Lefou desperately... he still wasn't breathing, because _it was too late, he was too late, he just killed his love before Lefou ever knew how he felt... how could he have been so, so stupid to never tell him? All to protect a reputation... now-_

"Gaston?" Lefou managed out, ripping the hunter back to reality. The shorter man rubbed his torso gently. No blood. No gunshot wound.

"Le... Lefou!"

Lefou stared forward, mouth parted slightly. Then he started to feel up Gaston's arms, tugging at his sleeves to make sure he was real, then moved on to himself, checking that he was whole.

"I'm here! I'm here, where I was last night! Or... a moment ago! I don't know, I don't care. It's... it's a different day, it's a new day, isn't it Agathe?! You beautiful, beautiful person, you!"

Agathe, who now donned a lovely white dress and long blonde hair, nodded with a secret smile.

"This... this must be sorcery," Gaston breathed incredulously, a dazed look in his eyes.

"Oh, it's a long story," Lefou assured, still dazed himself. "God, _finally_!! I was ready to strangle you and every other god forsaken person in this town!" he giggled gleefully, tossing up his arms. "Oh, Gaston, you're alive, you're _alive_!"

"Why... wouldn't I be?" Gaston frowned, "You're the one who took the bullet- _my_ bullet-" he added guiltily, "And almost died."

"Y'know what?" Lefou murmured, "I think I actually did die for a second there. I did- I died again!" he screamed rather manically, and couple of birds flew off the balcony ledge at the outburst. Gaston still looked extremely mystified, but now was not the time for explanations. "It was pretty scary to die, I hope you remember that the next time you call me a coward for not shooting at a duck." Lefou shook his head, then accepted Gaston's hand to stand up. The previously dark castle was now a bright, golden white palace, he observed, sun shining on every surface and through every window.

The air between the two quickly became solemn, and Lefou's smile faded just a little as he regarded Gaston. "Hey, um... did you really mean all of that?"

"What... that romantic drivel that only girls would faint and moon over?" Gaston scoffed with his usual gusto, crossing his bulging arms over his chest.

"Yes... that," Lefou replied apprehensively.

Gaston gave a shy smile, inching closer to Lefou carefully, so as not to mess this up any further. This was still so new to him, this... acceptance of himself and the feelings that had plagued and tortured his conscience for years, that he didn't want to ruin anything too early on. Then, he decided after short consideration, this was too precious a moment not to cherish properly, and pulled Lefou so close they were squeezing.

"My dearest Lefou... I meant every word." Lefou did a little happy dance, and yanked Gaston down by his collar to kiss him properly, passionately.

As they pulled away and stared at each other in full recognition of what they had been burying for years, Gaston cleared his throat.

"I... have no words to... begin to apologize, for..." he shifted, staring out at the gorgeous view of the gardens, "For all the pain I put you through... leaving you like that, nothing can excuse what I said... what I did, what I," he sighed in frustration, " _Tried_ to do to compensate for what I felt wasn't natural."

Lefou admired the way Gaston's eyes shone in the sunlight, and there he was, getting distracted again. "It's okay," he whispered, "I understand. I mean... I can understand, but I can't fully forgive you until..." he gestured aimlessly with a sigh, "I don't know. A lot of barriers have to come down, Gaston. And both of us need a lot of work. You became a monster when Belle rejected you... that's not you."

"Mmm," Gaston nodded, squinting, "I know, Lefou."

There was silence, before the hunter spoke up again cautiously.

"But... there is... I mean to say, you do wish to- partake.. in me?"

Lefou turned to him in amusement. "Okay, another thing... learn how to woo a man properly. If you're gonna be in love with one and expect to charm me into bed, step up your game, sir." Gaston chuckled at this, and Lefou took his arm, resting his head against the other man.

As they stood there, together, his mind couldn't help but wander to the very phrase he hoped he'd never, ever hear again...

"What's got you thinking?" Gaston asked with that timid smile, grazing the pad of his thumb across Lefou's cheek affectionately.

"Gaston... something's weighing on _my_ mind."

"Yes? Go on, out with it, then."

"I wonder if that woman ever got her six eggs."

"What?"

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed this, come over and tell me @headoverhiddles on tumblr :)


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